Mug Shot

Games Workshop used to publish a semi-pro 'fanzine' called Citadel Journal. Where White Dwarf was polished and mainstream, CJ was a bit rougher around the edges and hairier around the eyeballs, but pretty fun for all that. Content and quality could vary greatly from issue to issue though, which made it difficult to sell subscriptions.

One Christmas season, they came up with a very popular promotion: every subscription came with a limited edition "Polymorphine Mug".




In the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Imperial Assassins use the shape-changing drug Polymorphine in order to infiltrate the ranks of the enemy (i.e. everyone not human and many who are). In game terms, this used to mean replacing an enemy model with your dread Callidus Assassin, who would then run all manner of roughshod over your opponent's back lines.

The rules aren't nearly as generous now, but the mug is just as kitschy and fun as ever. It was highly coveted at the time, and I wonder how many are still intact; I've had mine for almost 15 years now, a reward for beating our subscription target when I ran Canadian Mail Order for GW. At some point the Polymorphine effect will stop working, or I'll accidentally break it, so when I made hot chocolate for Glory and I after supper, I thought I would capture the effect for posterity.

Hot drinks are one of my favorite parts of this season, and enjoying some vintage nerdery at the same time makes it all the better!

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